Richard Penney emerged voluntarily from the Lake Shore Drive home shortly after 5 p.m., ending a nearly three-hour standoff, and defusing a situation that police say carried the potential for “extreme violence.”

During a press conference held in the evening at Middleton Town Hall, State Police Director Colonel Robert Quinn hailed the officers in Middleton for their composure during the episode.

“It was a tremendous effort, and the chief should be proud of his officers and the first responders, and we're just grateful that it ended as peacefully as it did,” he said.

Penney is facing charges of felony theft of a firearm, armed robbery and kidnapping, according to Middleton Police Chief Randy Sobel. He is scheduled to be arraigned Friday at 11 a.m. in Rochester Circuit Court.

Middleton Police Sgt. Jason Lamontagne said the incident unfolded after Penney broke into his brother's home and stole numerous weapons. Taken were “multiple” handguns and long guns, Lamontagne said, including a fully automatic AK-47.

After stealing the weapons, Penney allegedly traveled on foot to Lake Shore Drive and entered a home near the intersection with Karen Road.

Police evacuated the neighborhood, and the town hall was opened as a shelter as a standoff ensued. A 22-member state police SWAT team amassed at the scene, carrying three negotiators.

The man involved in the standoff was described in police radio communications as approximately 6 feet, 2 inches tall, and weighing about 220 pounds. He was said to be wearing a black coat and pants.

Radio reports also indicated the man was homeless, and that he was known to sleep in abandoned cars and sheds in town, as well as homeless shelters.

Police initially set up a staging and command center at the Middleton Town Hall, but moved closer to the scene. Police closed down the network of roads in the neighborhood, which straddles the eastern edge of Sunrise Lake.

Joining State Police and authorities from Middleton at the scene were officers from Wolfeboro, Farmington, Milton, Wakefield, Strafford County Sheriff's Department and elsewhere in the area.

Police stopped school buses from entering the area and advised the school to go into a “soft lock-down.” A state police helicopter was also visible overhead during portions of the afternoon.

At 4 p.m. Superintendent of Schools Steve Welford said all Middleton students were being kept at the Henry Wilson Memorial School in Farmington until the Middleton scene cleared. Students are typically released from Farmington at 2:30 p.m. and sent home on buses to Middleton.

Welford said parents had been notified through an emergency notification system their children were being held and many parents had already driven to the Farmington middle school to pick up their children. Children were supervised by school personnel, Welford said.

Welford also noted there were two middle school basketball games scheduled so the home team was expected to have a full house.

Penney was then persuaded to exit the home without incident at about 5:07 p.m.

After the crisis ended, Middleton middle school students, who attend school in Farmington, were cleared to leave the school and go home. They had been held at the school as a precaution.